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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28576539">The Marriage Tax Penalty</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eshnunna/pseuds/eshnunna'>eshnunna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, M/M, Taxes, really bad tax law jokes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:53:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,354</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28576539</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eshnunna/pseuds/eshnunna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Obi-Wan files as head of household and learns, much to his dismay, that he cannot claim Anakin as a dependent.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>240</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Many thanks to M and nerdytransguy for beta-ing, and to reyiosa and flowersdontlast for dealing with more tax talk than they probably wanted to read.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A chime sounded from the door to Obi-Wan’s quarters. “Package for you, sir,” a trooper called. Obi-Wan glanced at the chrono on his desk and wondered idly if Cody had scheduled the mail delivery early to force him to take a break. Conveniently scheduled delivery aside, Obi-Wan thought he had at least made good headway into his backlog. He stretched and rose from his chair to open the door.</p><p>A shiny stood there, waiting with a small package in his arms. “My thanks,” Obi-Wan said, taking the package off of the shiny’s hands with a small smile. No doubt Master Nu had sent him a few new holobooks for his collection, and hopefully a new packet of tea for his stash. Obi-Wan nodded to the shiny, and began turning back to his desk, when the shiny hesitated. “Was there something else?” Obi-Wan asked. </p><p>“Well, sir, there was another—I think it’s called a letter?” the shiny blurted out, hurriedly digging a flimsi envelope out of his pack. “It says it’s from the Republic Revenue Service, but it sounds like junk. Who sends flimsi for official documents, anyways? Uh...Sir.” </p><p>“Oh no,” Obi-Wan chuckled, taking the letter. “Not junk mail at all. I’m afraid our dear CRS is still rather antiquated. All official communications are sent through flimsi letters such as these.”</p><p>“CRS, sir?”</p><p>“The Central Revenue Service. Collector of taxes, and administrative agency with the dubious honor of being the most feared in all the Republic.” </p><p>“I see, sir,” the shiny responded shakily, before saluting smartly and beating a hasty retreat when Obi-Wan nodded his dismissal.</p><p>Regardless of what Obi-Wan had told the shiny, it was a bit odd to be receiving a letter from the CRS. The Service had, after all, finally begun utilizing direct deposit some years ago. Obi-Wan couldn’t remember the last time he had received a physical check from the Service. It must have been back when he used to file Qui-Gon’s and his return when he was a padawan, Obi-Wan mused. </p><p>Package and letter in hand, Obi-Wan sat back down at his desk. He looked around for something to open the letter with before he spotted a combat knife that Cody must have left in his quarters. The blade was well-cared for and the hilt fit perfectly in his hand. Obi-Wan’s eyes crinkled fondly as he thought of working late into the night, bumping shoulders with Cody as they tried to make headway into their respective piles of paperwork. </p><p>What could the CRS want? Obi-Wan was sure he had filed on time, in spite of everything that had happened since Geonosis. At least the Negotiator was slated to orbit Coruscant for the next ten-day. Whatever it was, hopefully Obi-Wan could get it sorted while he still had consistent access to the holo-net, even if the CRS insisted on doing things by letter.  </p><p>It seemed a shame to use such a nice knife for the mundane task of opening an CRS letter, but needs must, Obi-Wan supposed. The blade rent the envelope open smoothly, and he set it down gently on his desk. He paused before opening the letter, fingering the subtle engraving on the hilt. The craftsmanship was truly exquisite, and Obi-Wan made a mental note to return it to Cody when he got the chance. Cody’s knife-fighting skills were quite a sight to behold. </p><p>Pulling the letter out, Obi-Wan began to read. As soon as his eyes hit upon the word “audit”, Obi-Wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache begin to develop. What could possibly be wrong with the method he was using to claim dependents? </p><p>If anything, Obi-Wan had half-expected some sort of inquiry about all the ships he’d claimed casualty deductions for.  Obi-Wan had never taken anything but the standard deduction until he’d taken Anakin on as a padawan, but the high threshold at which itemized deductions became advantageous was apparently nothing in the face of Anakin’s ability to both obtain and crash ships at a prodigious rate. </p><p>Obi-Wan frowned; he only had one dependent and Anakin’s aversion to paperwork of any sort, let alone tax returns, was almost legendary. </p><p>Obi-Wan looked longingly at his remaining pile of datapads; GAR paperwork was so much simpler than resolving Anakin-created problems. Resigning himself to the imminent headache, Obi-Wan dialed Anakin’s comm frequency and waited for his padawan to pick up. </p><p>“Master, didn’t expect to hear from you so early,” Anakin answered, his image in the holo shifting as if he was moving something out of view. “I’m just uh taking Artoo out for an oil bath. You know how he gets.”</p><p>“As invaluable as staying in Artoo’s good graces is, I believe I may need to speak with you in person. Will you be back at the temple in, say, two hours?”</p><p>“Two hours?” Anakin’s expression was simultaneously giddy and filled with relief. “Yes, that’s no problem. Plenty of time to have lunch with P—Artoo.”</p><p>“Yes, I’ll see you at our quarters in two hours,” Obi-Wan responded before hanging up.</p><p>Force, Anakin was not subtle. Obi-Wan wouldn’t put it past Anakin to actually make a lunch date with his astromech, but even the blue tint of the holo did not hide the very obvious hickey on Anakin’s neck. Perhaps Senator Amidala could give Anakin some tips on how to cover those up.</p><p>After leaving a message for Cody, and gathering a few datapads to return to the temple archives, Obi-Wan set off to look for transport to the temple. It seemed he’d be taking a longer break from GAR paperwork than he thought. Whether said break was restful, though, remained to be seen.</p><p>---</p><p>Obi-Wan made good time from the temple hangar to his quarters. He’d been lucky that a transport had been about to depart the Negotiator as he was leaving. As he drew closer to his quarters, he tried to recall what could possibly have caused an issue with the dependent situation.  The Galactic Revenue Code had an explicit provision that permitted Jedi with padawans to claim them as dependents, even given the lack of blood relation or legal adoption papers, but perhaps there was some sort of exception Obi-Wan had overlooked. Regardless, Obi-Wan thought, the archives ought to have more details. </p><p>When Obi-Wan arrived at his quarters, he made for the datapad that contained his tax filings. He’d been due back to the temple to finalize the Order’s return for the year, in any case. Obi-Wan had been sorting out the Order’s taxes for almost half a decade by this point. “The Council feels you have a—particular aptitude for certain legal matters,” Master Windu had said. Obi-Wan suspected the assignment was partly a consequence of Anakin being Anakin for the last decade, and partly the Council’s general dislike of tax paperwork.</p><p>He didn’t particularly dislike being responsible for the Order’s tax filings, but running down valuations for in-kind donations and who had used mission funds for what (justifying the use of Order funds on a life-sized model of Jiro the Hutt had been challenging, to say the least) could be exhausting at times. Obi-Wan hoped this last taxable year wouldn’t bring such surprises, but given what had happened while he and Anakin were last on Ryloth, Obi-Wan was going to keep his expectations low. Sighing, Obi-Wan grabbed the datapad and left his quarters for the archives.</p><p>As he crossed the threshold into the archives, Obi-Wan smiled and rolled his shoulders as the tension he carried there lessened. The Room of a Thousand Fountains was certainly his favorite part of the temple, but he had spent a great deal of his childhood here in the archives. He saw Master Nu assisting a pair of initiates, no doubt with some sort of class assignment. Glancing at his wrist chrono, Obi-Wan decided he had some time to visit briefly with Master Nu. If he stopped by without at least saying hello, no doubt he would be hearing about it within hours of her finding out.</p><p>He walked up to Master Nu’s group to wait for her to finish with the pair of initiates. The group was looking intently at the station a Nautolan initiate was currently seated at. The initiate was gesticulating excitedly as they explained a most fascinating tidbit on marine life as their fellow initiate, a Mon Cala, nodded along. </p><p>“Thank you, Initiate Beps,” Master Nu said. “I’m very excited that you and Initiate Dak have found a topic that you feel excited about. I believe certain species might be cultivated in some of the gardens in the temple. I’m sure if you asked Master Fisto when he is next at the temple, he would be happy to show you around and introduce you to the caretakers.”</p><p>“Really?!” Initiate Beps exclaimed, before sheepishly lowering their voice to a whisper, albeit with no less excitement, “Sorry, Master Nu! Will Master Fisto really show us around?”</p><p>“You have only to ask, Initiate Beps. Master Fisto does rather enjoy swimming in those gardens, ever since he was an initiate.” </p><p>Initiate Beps exchanged glances with Initiate Dak, who nodded excitedly. </p><p>“Now, in the meantime, there are several holobooks and reports on marine life in this section of the archives,” Master Nu said, gesturing to a row of aisles. The group of initiates thanked her before heading toward the section Master Nu had pointed out.</p><p>“Now,” Master Nu said, turning to address Obi-Wan, “What can I do for you today, Master Kenobi?”</p><p>“Master Nu, surely the question should be what can I, in my humble capacity, do for such a bastion of knowledge and grace such as yourself?” The corner of Master Nu’s mouth twitched as she tried not to laugh.</p><p>“Always the flatterer, Master Kenobi,” she chuckled. “Now, out with it. What trouble have you gotten into?”</p><p>“Just a spot of auditing by the CRS. Nothing serious, I imagine.”</p><p>“Just a bit of auditing. Of course. And what has your little troublemaker managed to do this time?”</p><p>“Well, I’m not quite sure it’s Anakin’s fault this time.” Master Nu narrowed her eyes, incredulous, and Obi-Wan suddenly felt like he was an initiate once again. “Well, it seems to be something to do with my claiming Anakin as a dependent. I’m sure it’s some sort of clerical error?”</p><p>“Perhaps. In any case, I believe we have the latest galactic registers here, though I suspect there would have been rather a lot of uproar if the Senate has made significant changes to dependent qualifications.”</p><p>“Excellent. And I assume Bitter’s treatise on individual taxation is still where I last left it?”</p><p>“Not everyone has such a fascination with the Galactic Revenue Code, Master Kenobi. But do tell me, did you receive my latest shipment of tea?”</p><p>Obi-Wan brightened. “Yes, I did just this morning. I’m afraid I haven’t had time to sample your latest, but I very much look forward to doing so.” Master Nu nodded indulgently. “And I also have a few holobooks to return,” Obi-Wan added.</p><p>“This is a most prodigious pace even for you, Master Kenobi.”</p><p>“Well, only some of them are for me,” Obi-Wan said, ducking his head. “The other ones are for Cody—I hope that’s not a problem. The Vod’e don’t have much access to recreational material in the field.”</p><p>“Oh?” Master Nu asked, a gleam in her eye. “Picking up holobooks for your young man?”</p><p>“He’s not my young man, Master Nu,” Obi-Wan replied, trying—and failing—to will the inevitable blush away. The gleam in Master Nu’s eye grew even brighter, and Obi-Wan resigned himself to her enthusiastic grandmothering. “Cody just has a keen interest in histories. And certain literary works.”</p><p>“Might I suggest Inanna’s treatise on love? It was rather my favorite for romantic endeavors back in the day. Why, there was one lovely lady who--”</p><p>“But Master Nu, surely you are still young and much adored by the denizens of Coruscant, and of course other systems.”</p><p>“I know what you’re doing, Master Kenobi,” she said, pursing her lips. “I am certainly not condoning flattery as a way to escape difficult topics of conversation. I suppose I should have suggested Wren’s Sol’kar’ta instead since your young man is Mandalorian, but I shall let you go this time. Enjoy your time with Bitter.” </p><p>Obi-Wan breathed an internal sigh of relief. “My thanks, Master Nu.”</p><p>“<em>Sol’kar’ta </em>is in that aisle, Master Kenobi,” Master Nu said before pivoting abruptly to return to her desk.</p><p>---</p><p>Obi-Wan sighed as he put the copy of Bitter’s treatise away. Thumbing through the latest Galactic Register indicated that there had been no change in law that would apply to the tax year in question. There was no particular reason why the CRS had rejected his return. Even though Anakin was past the standard age of majority for humans, the exception for Jedi padawans accounted for that situation very explicitly.</p><p>Well, Obi-Wan supposed that was that—he’d have to ask Anakin to see if something else had changed. His wrist chrono indicated he had another half hour or so before he needed to be at their quarters. Given that Anakin was rarely on time to anything, especially when it had anything to do with leaving Senator Amidala, there was more than enough time for Obi-Wan to pick up a few more holobooks for Cody, and if he did also check out the copy of <em>Sol’kar’ta</em>, that was no one’s business but his own. </p><p>Never mind that Master Nu surely would notice it had been checked out.</p><p>---</p><p>By the time Obi-Wan made it back to his and Anakin’s quarters, his wayward padawan still had not arrived. Singularly unsurprised, Obi-Wan pulled up the copy of the return he had filed last spring so he’d be ready when Anakin actually showed up. That done, no harm in thumbing through Wren’s <em>Sol’kar’ta</em>. It’d been quite some time since Obi-Wan had last read it.</p><p>Some time later, Anakin finally burst into their quarters, face flushed and Artoo suspiciously absent. The two of them hadn’t bothered setting Anakin up in separate rooms after he’d been knighted, since neither of them were at the temple very often anymore. </p><p>“Did you and Artoo have a good lunch, Anakin?”</p><p>“Lunch with Artoo, Master?” Anakin asked. Obi-Wan frowned rather pointedly at him. “Right, lunch with Artoo was, uh, great. He liked the new oil bath place—very high tech? Super wizard. So—what did you need to speak to me about?”</p><p>Obi-Wan sighed internally. How Anakin thought he was any good at subterfuge was anyone’s guess. “Well you recall how annually, we are required to file tax returns, yes?”</p><p>“Sure?”</p><p>“Yes, well generally I file as head of household, which allows me to claim my padawan as a dependent.”</p><p>“But you don’t have a padawan any more, Master.” Anakin frowned. “Wait, you mean me? But I’m a knight now!” Obi-Wan had walked right into that one. He swore he had explained how tax years worked to Anakin before.</p><p>“Yes, but you weren’t a knight for most of last year, which is the period the tax return in question is for.”</p><p>“Oh. Okay? So what’s the problem then?”</p><p>“The CRS has notified me that they’ve initiated an audit on our tax return because I claimed you as a dependent.” Before Anakin could object, Obi-Wan hastily added, “For last year.</p><p>“Now, I’ve looked at the tax law on this point and everything is consistent with what I’ve understood the law to be previously, and there’s no apparent reason why the CRS would object. Last year, you were my padawan, your stipend was provided from my allowance from the Order, and we still share the same quarters. All the requirements ought to have been met and as a padawan you were exempt from rules applying to dependents over the age of their majority.”</p><p>“Uh—” Anakin said, his expression simultaneously mildly panicked and very confused. Obi-Wan briefly considered whether re-phrasing would help before recalling exactly who he was speaking to. Perhaps he should instead ask if Senator Amidala could work a minor miracle and explain it to Anakin. If nothing else, Anakin might actually listen.</p><p>In the meantime, Anakin’s uncanny goldfish impression had somehow resolved into comprehensible sentences. “Maybe it was that thing Padme needed my GIN for?” Anakin said, the confused frown on his face morphing into a wide, almost vapid smile as he mentioned the senator. Obi-Wan hoped the senator was sufficiently well-off that she did not need to resort to identity fraud, but he swore he had told Anakin not to just hand his Galactic Identification Number out to anyone.</p><p>“Anakin, why would Senator Amidala need your GIN?”</p><p>“Well, I don’t know, Master. I figured it was for some weird paperwork? Something about filing jointly. You know I don’t do that kind of stuff.”</p><p>“Anakin, what sort of paperwork are you filing jointly with Senator Amidala?” The throbbing behind Obi-Wan’s temple, which had lessened while he had read through Wren and picked out passages to discuss with Cody, had come back with a vengeance as the conversation went on.</p><p>Anakin mumbled something incoherent even as his face turned progressively more red. Oh this could not be good for Obi-Wan’s blood pressure. He would not doubt be due yet another lecture from Cody, or worse, Bant. </p><p>“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, taking a fortifying breath before continuing. “What happened between you and the senator when you escorted her back to Naboo?”</p><p>“Well, we might have just--” Anakin trailed off in an indiscernible mumble. </p><p>“Anakin, please enunciate,” Obi-Wan said, trying not to sigh aloud.</p><p>“We just—we got married,” Anakin blurted out. “On Naboo?” As if the last point helped at all. Bant was definitely going to hear about this.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Padmé is definitely better at tax law than her husband.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ty to m and n for their help on this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Senator Amidala, you must understand that the situation with the GAR – it’s generated a significant amount of taxable income for the Order. To offset the income, we had planned to rely extensively on the deductions generated by Anakin’s unique talents,” Obi-Wan said, making a slow circuit of the senator’s sitting room.</p><p>“I’m not sure I follow, Master Kenobi. Deductions from what exactly?”</p><p>“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly, “crashes between five to ten ships annually.”</p><p>“Hey! I only crashed five ships this year.”</p><p>“Seven, Anakin. Five of which resulted in significant deductions for the Order.”</p><p>“But Master Kenobi,” Senator Amidala said, “Regardless of if Anakin and I are married, wouldn’t the Order still be able to take the deduction?”</p><p>“In a typical situation, I would say yes.” Obi-Wan paused in his circuit.  “However, as Anakin might recall, one of the ships he so adeptly crashed this year was sold to us by Sola Naberrie.” Senator Amidala’s eyes widened in understanding.</p><p>“Master Kenobi, I’m terribly sorry. I can assure you I had no intention of jeopardizing the Order’s tax exemption.”</p><p>“Master, can’t you just—I don’t know, say Artoo crashed some of the ships or something instead of me?”</p><p>“Anakin, notwithstanding the tax fraud issue, Artoo is officially in the employ of the Naboo senatorial office. That makes the conflict of interest worse, not better.”</p><p>“What about Vos then?”</p><p>“It’s Master Vos,” Obi-Wan sighed. “And no, that would also be tax fraud. And likely insurance fraud, as well. In case you hadn’t noticed, we are trying to <em>follow</em> the law, not break it.” </p><p>Before Anakin could propose another possible “solution”, Senator Amidala cut in, “I suppose my sister sold those ships to the Order after Anakin and I were married.” </p><p>“Yes, that seems to be the case.” Obi-Wan turned and looked at the couple. “I apologize, but I cannot turn a blind eye to this – it implicates the entire Order. I’ll need to bring this to the Council’s attention.”</p><p>Anakin jumped to his feet. “Master, isn’t there another way? Can’t we just...not?” Obi-Wan wished dearly that he could, but the Order’s exempt status and financial well-being necessarily outweighed Anakin’s comfort. Obi-Wan couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind Senator Amidala thinking it prudent to file as married filing jointly, but perhaps perjuring herself on her tax returns was too much—why she couldn’t have just filed as married filing separately, Obi-Wan had no idea. In any case, Obi-Wan resigned himself to mollifying Anakin’s panic.</p><p>“Unfortunately, that ship has sailed, Anakin. The Order has been a tax-exempt organization since its inception millennia ago, but that does not mean we are excused from the legal requirements of maintaining our exemption. The facts of your marriage are now in the public record, and the Order can’t risk its exemption.”</p><p>“But what does me and Padmé being married have to do with the Order not paying taxes?”</p><p>Obi-Wan resumed his circuit around the room, slipping into lecture mode. “As a tax-exempt organization, the Order must make sure that its actions remain within the ambit of its exempt purpose. Beyond that, we must also make sure that the charitable dollars within the Order do not benefit private individuals. Where transactions occur between a tax-exempt organization and those related to those in charge of the organization, we must follow certain conflict of interest policies.”</p><p>“But I’m not in charge of the Order!” Anakin exclaimed.</p><p>“No, but you are my former padawan, and I sit on the Council.”</p><p>“And you and I are married, and you know Sola is my sister,” Senator Amidala added. “I’m sure everything was above-board, but you’re supposed to run these things through independent channels, document it, so that anyone who looks into it later won’t think we’re doing anything untoward.”</p><p>“Yes, there’s a broader conflicts committee we generally call upon to evaluate these matters. It’s made up of Jedi and other, neutral parties. I do not think your marriage will remain secret for much longer, and you may wish to take steps to consider those implications, Senator.” </p><p>Senator Amidala nodded, before turning to look at Anakin. “And what will happen to Ani? Is he going to be expelled?”</p><p>Obi-Wan frowned at Anakin. He knew attachment was a difficult concept to grapple with, but surely one of the multitude of lectures Obi-Wan had given him over the years could have stuck. Cody had certainly understood it after Obi-Wan’s first explanation. “I’ve told you before that marriage alone does not result in expulsion, Anakin. To simplify a bit, if the two of you can put duty before your commitment to each other, then Anakin can remain in the Order.” </p><p>“But Padmé is my wife!” Anakin had stood up again. “She’s the most important person to me in the galaxy.” Obi-Wan looked studiously at the floor to avoid rolling his eyes and held back a sigh as his padawan and the senator made cow eyes at each other.</p><p>“Well, that’s all very well and good, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, choosing each word carefully, before moving to sit across from Anakin and Senator Amidala. “Many people in the galaxy hold similar beliefs, but being a part of the Order means that we have responsibilities that may have to take precedence over our individual loved ones.” </p><p>“But that’s---” Anakin said, before continuing on, quieter. “I don’t know if I can do that.”</p><p>Obi-Wan smiled, “I know it’s difficult, Anakin. I suggest you take some time and think about whether you can uphold your duties as a Jedi.” Obi-Wan slowly rose from his seat. “In the meantime, you and I will need to report to the Council, and I imagine I will need to come up with another way to offset the Order’s income this year.”</p><p>“I’m sorry if I’ve misunderstood, Master Kenobi. Does the Order not employ accounting staff?”</p><p>Obi-Wan paused before responding wryly, “Several accounting firms took umbrage with certain tax positions the Order has taken in the past.”</p><p>“I see,” Senator Amidala said, chuckling quietly. Obi-Wan turned to leave, making mental notes to comm Mace and then to let Cody know he was welcome to join him planetside since Obi-Wan doubted he’d be back on the Negotiator any time soon. </p><p>As he reached the door, Threepio shuffled into the room with what looked to be a flimsi letter in his hand. “Mistress Padmé,” Threepio began, “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but here is a most urgent letter for you. It appears to be from the Central Revenue Service, oh my.”  </p><p>“Well, Senator,” Obi-Wan said, “It looks as if the CRS has seen fit to grace you with an audit notice, as well.”</p><p>“I suspect you may be right,” the senator said, rising smoothly to take the letter from Threepio. “I can’t imagine there’s much beyond Ani’s tax status, but we’ll comm you if there’s anything of note. I’m sure you have much more urgent things to sort out.”</p><p>Obi-Wan nodded, and actually made it out the door and to a speeder before his comm chimed. He smiled as he answered, “My dear commander, I was just about to comm you.”</p><p>“General. Please tell me you haven’t been working this entire time.”</p><p>“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it work, Cody.”</p><p>“Solving General Skywalker’s problems counts as work,” Cody said, frowning.</p><p>“If you must know, Cody, I did spend some of my time today on non-work related tasks.” Perhaps that would assuage Cody’s mother-henning. </p><p>Cody paused before his frown morphed into the unimpressed look he reserved for what he considered Anakin’s worst antics. “I assume General Skywalker was late to your meeting, then?” Obi-Wan sighed. Cody was perhaps a bit too good at his job, though if he was anything less, Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how he’d have made it through the last few months.</p><p>“Yes, well Anakin’s rather put his foot in it this time, so I still need to speak with Mace and see if we can get the council together today.”</p><p>“I assume you won’t be making it back shipside tonight then.”</p><p>“Yes, that’s what I was meaning to comm you about. You’re welcome to join me at the temple if you’d like.”</p><p>“There’s a transport in an hour I can catch. Anything you need from the Negotiator?”</p><p>“Oh, if you could stop by our office and pick out one of the teas Master Nu sent, that would lovely.”</p><p>“Of course, General.” Cody said, a small smile on his lips.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>obi-wan is really just here for tax exposition probably. oops.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If someone manages to spot the copious number of terrible, no good tax jokes in here, props to you.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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